Lean on Me
by strawberryfinn
Summary: Cody is kidnapped at 12. At 15, he is found again and reunited with his friends and family. Only Cody has been hurt by the past and is no longer the same. Can Zack help him?
1. Prologue

Prologue:

"Hey, Zack?" Cody asked. "I have to go use the bathroom really quickly. I'll meet you over there," he indicated, pointing to the entrance of the stadium.

"Sure, brother," said his twin, Zack. He waved to his brother, and hurried out to the front of the stadium to meet his mother.

It was Zack and Cody's first time to a baseball game alone: unsupervised without any adult chaperones. The Red Sox had won, and they were supposed to meet Carey at the front of the stadium after the game finished.

Carey was standing there, and as Zack approached, she asked, "Where's Cody?"

"He had to go use the bathroom," Zack told her. They stood there and waited for Cody to come out.

xxx

Cody headed for the bathroom. _I have to go really bad_, he thought, and sprinted through the door, pushing it open. He ran towards the nearest stall and emptied his bladder. After he was finished, he opened the door and headed over towards the sink, noticing two men standing off to the side.

He didn't really care about them being there until one came up behind him. Cody looked up nervously at the tall man.

"Let's take this one," the guy said, looking at the other one.

"Yeah, he'll be fine," said the other one, examining something on his head.

Cody backed up against the sink. "What… what are you doing?"

"Kid," the tall man said, looking down at Cody. Cody noticed that he had a scruffy looking beard. "What's your name?"

"C-cody," Cody managed to stutter.

"Cody. I think it's time that you come for a little ride with us."

Cody felt every muscle in his body tense up. _No! No!_ his mind screamed, but he couldn't control his body. He couldn't make himself move. _This can't be happening_.

Carey had always told her sons that when they were faced with this, they were to scream, but Cody couldn't make his mouth function. He couldn't seem to make anything work.

In one moment, the man grabbed him and stuffed a dirty rag into his mouth. There went the chance to scream.

The man hit him over the head, and everything went black.

xxx

Carey and Zack had been waiting for about fifteen minutes by now, and they were becoming worried. Carey waited outside the men's room while Zack went inside.

"He's not there," he whispered, his face pale as he came out. "Cody's not there. I found this though," he said, handing Carey a blue hat. Cody's hat.

"Don't panic," said Carey, though she could feel the fear rising in her chest. "We'll look around first. Stay with me, I don't want to lose you too."

They looked and looked for every sign of a short boy with blonde hair. They saw a couple, but none of them were Cody.

Finally, Carey decided to go put in a report. She went to the front of the stadium and asked the ticket taker if he had seen Cody. He hadn't. Carey was panicking now. She called the police, not knowing that she would not see her son again for three years…

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	2. Chapter 1

Chapter 1:

15-year-old Zackary Martin looked in the mirror and flexed. Captain _and_ MVP of the basketball team, good student, played guitar in band… what else could he want? Zack had the perfect life.

His eyes traveled around his room and the pictures placed on the walls. Tapeworm, Max, Maddie, London, a couple of other friends, and then Cody and him—age 12. Every time Zack looked at that picture, his heart wrenched. He and Carey had buried Cody last year. It was the hardest thing that each one of them had ever done, but they had to do it. There was almost no chance that Cody could be alive by now, so they had said good-bye to him. It hurt. But it had been their decision, and life was better now.

Sure, Zack still looked out the window every night and wondered where Cody was and if he was ok, and Carey still cried every night when she prayed for his safety. But it was better than going on every day, wondering if they were being selfish and petty while Cody was out there being hurt… wondering if they were having a good time while Cody was crying…

Zack shook these thoughts from his mind. It was Saturday, and he didn't want to think about any of that. He didn't want to think about Cody.

When Cody had first disappeared, Zack had hurt every night. He would wake up screaming—screaming in pain, but he would realize that it wasn't his pain. It was Cody's. He was feeling what Cody was feeling. After about seven months since Cody vanished, Zack stopped feeling them. He stopped feeling Cody's feelings, and with a painful revelation, he realized that Cody wasn't connected to him anymore.

Zack was still living at the Tipton. Carey tried to keep on going like nothing had ever happened. Yet they both knew that was untrue.

Even Mr. Mosebey missed the twins. He missed Cody, because ever since Cody had disappeared, Zack had turned perfect—and they no longer pulled pranks, they no longer caused havoc. It was as if Cody had never existed.

Maddie had been shocked. She had cried for awhile with London, who was also horrified. They helped the Martins go to the lost children center and report him. They helped make the ads that said, _Have you seen this child? _But they got over it too.

Only Zack hadn't.

There was only one reason for Zack's transformation. Why he went from a D student to an A student. He did it for Cody.

He knew that if Cody had been there, he would have wanted the best for his brother. And when Zack put all his effort into everything, he could forget. He could forget the pain he felt since his brother's absence, he could forget all the times they had together.

And as Zack forgot, his emotions wound up in him tighter than ever, and they screamed for escape, but he wasn't going to let them go.

He didn't want to remember.

He didn't want to remember what it was like to have a twin. He didn't want to remember what it was like to have his brother. He didn't want to remember his best friend. He wanted to forget it all, so he wouldn't hurt anymore.

And he knew it was wrong.

Because if Cody was still out there, he was holding on to everything. He was holding on to Zack, and hoped that Zack still thought about him. He needed something to hold onto. But Zack didn't want to hold onto Cody.

Zack reached a hand up to the picture, the twins' smiles frozen in time. He gently stroked the glass over Cody's face, and felt a lump in his throat. A small tear escaped, and Zack brushed it away. He couldn't remember it. He didn't want to.

He pulled his fingers away and walked out of his room, where he saw his mom sitting on the couch. As he entered, she turned and looked up, and he knew something was wrong.

"Zack," she said. "They found him. They found Cody. He's alive."

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	3. Chapter 2

This story is SUCH a keeper.

Chapter 2:

Carey was driving numbly, while Zack sat in the front seat next to her. They were going to pick Cody up from the police station. It turned out that somebody had seen two guys abusing a teenager, and called the police. The police had gone into the two guys' house and rescued the scared looking teen. They recognized Cody from the _Have you seen this child_? ad, since Carey had tried one last time the year before—before they had said good-bye to Cody of course. The men had just kidnapped him "for fun," as they answered when the police interrogated them. They had "just thought it would be interesting to kidnap a kid."

For the last three years, they had hurt Cody—taking out their anger on him. They had abused him. Zack had tried to bite back the horror, but he felt tears coming to his eyes. Here he was on top of the world while his twin had been hurting. Hurting, hurting, all along.

Zack's heart was hammering in his chest. He was going to see his brother. He was going to see his brother. _He was going to see his brother_. This thought kept on running through his mind, over and over—new questions popping up.

_Is he going to be mad that we couldn't find him? Is he going to hate me? Is he going to be scared?_

One thing Zack knew for sure. Cody was going to be scared.

xxx

Zack and Carey reached the station, where they were led into a small room. On the chair sat a scared looking teen. Zack almost didn't recognize him. Cody was skinny. Very skinny. His cheekbones were hollowed, and his eyes had a lifeless look, making him look like he hadn't eaten for a week. Which he probably hadn't, Zack reminded himself. His hair was average length, but that was because the police had cut his hair before calling Carey and Zack. Cody looked nervous, his eyes darting around.

Next to Zack, Carey let out something that sounded like a cry of joy. "CODY!" she yelled, running to her sun and hugging him.

Cody flinched as if expecting her to slap him. He didn't hug her back, but stood rigidly like a plank of wood.

Carey kissed his cheek, and pulled his face to hers. "Are you ok, honey?"

Cody's eyes didn't meet hers, but stayed on the floor. He didn't answer her.

The pain on Carey's face was obvious, but she didn't want to show her disappointment. She tried to busy herself with something else, going over to the policemen to find out exactly what had happened.

The police had taken him to get a checkup with the doctor, so he was ok now physically, though perhaps a bit week. However, it was _emotionally_ that they were worried about. Cody hadn't responded to anybody for the last few hours they had had him there, and he couldn't keep eye contact. He constantly flinched, and the only thing he had said to them was "I'm sorry," if he did anything that he believed was wrong. The men who had kidnapped him had hurt him mentally and physically. He had scars on his back from when they hit him with belts, and his state of mind was truly disturbing. However, the interrogator hadn't been able to get anything out of Cody about how they had treated him and what they had done to him. The men were going to jail of course, for a very long time. The police warned Carey that it would take awhile for him to get back to normal, but if they showed him love and compassion, he _could_ get better. But they warned Carey only to talk to Cody like he was still a young child, and not the adolescent that he was.

Zack went over to Cody, who was now curled up in the fetal position, his eyes still focused on the ground.

"Hi Cody," Zack said, trying to fight the emotion from showing in his voice.

Cody didn't answer, but kept his eyes down.

"It's me, Zack. Your brother," Zack told him. "You remember, right?"

He sat down on the chair next to Cody. Cody inched away, and Zack tried not to show the pain he was feeling.

"I've missed you Cody," Zack said cautiously, placing one hand on Cody's shoulder in what he believed to be a comforting manner.

Cody jerked away, and then his eyes filled with tears. He still couldn't look at his brother. "I'm sorry," he whispered. "I'm sorry I made you hurt. It's my fault."

"_Nothing_ is your fault," Zack said, turning to face Cody, whose eyes immediately darted down. "You didn't do anything, Cody. They did it to you."

Cody let out a small whimper, and turned away. "I'm a bad boy," he said quietly. "I deserved it."

"No you're not," Zack tried to convince him. If it had been someone else, he would have thought it was funny. But this was Cody. This was his brother. This was his twin. He was hurting and he didn't deserve to. And when Cody hurt, Zack hurt inside too. "Nobody deserves that to happen to them. Nobody, especially you."

Cody didn't answer.

Zack tried another approach. "We're fifteen now, huh brother?"

Cody nodded, eyes looking anywhere but at Zack.

"Well, I'm a sophomore this year," Zack said. "And I'm captain of the basketball team—and MVP too, Cody," he said in a quiet soothing voice. "I get A's now, Cody. I get A's. I'm not lazy anymore. I," his voice broke off. "I did it for you, you know."

Cody was staring off somewhere into the distance. Zack hoped he was listening though.

"And remember Tapeworm, Cody? Tapeworm and Max? Well Tapeworm and Max are going out now. Oh and Cody, I took Maddie to the Winter Formal. Isn't that something? And London's the same. Maddie has another job now—she has two. Mr. Mosebey is still there. Esteban and Muriel are still at the Tipton. They're still at home. We're going to take you home, Cody, isn't that right? We're going to take you home. What, Cody?"

Cody was shaking his head.

Carey came in and looked concerned. "Why can't… we're going to take you home Cody. Why can't we take you home?"

Cody looked up in her eyes, and suddenly, as if remembering, he drew his gaze away. But not before Carey could see the shiny tears matting his eyelashes together.

"I don't have a home anymore," he said sadly.

xxx

After a whole lot of coaxing, Carey and Zack managed to get Cody into the car. Zack climbed into the back seat with him.

Zack suddenly remembered something. He reached into a bag he had brought and pulled out a soft, light blue blanket. "Cody, I brought you Blankie."

He handed it to his brother, hoping for some sort of response, but Cody just pulled it tight around him, as if Blankie could protect him from all the mixed emotions he was feeling.

Carey drove up to the Tipton, and Cody followed them out of the car and through the revolving doors. They had just gotten in, and there was a scream of "SURPRISE!"

Mr. Mosebey crawled out from behind a chair, looking extremely proud of himself. London was there, with her usual pompous look, and even Maddie was there, taking time off from her second job. Esteban and Muriel were there, both with wide grins on their faces, and on a chair sat Tapeworm with Max in his lap.

"Welcome back Cody!" they cried, but then a hush filled the room.

Cody was shaking, looking worriedly around, still trying not to meet anybody in the eyes. He wrapped Blankie tighter around him still, and looked at the ground. "I'm sorry," he whispered.

Zack felt his heart wrench in pain. Cody didn't have to be sorry about anything.

Carey was looking around at all their shocked friends, and she mouthed, "Thank you."

Zack helped Cody over to the elevator, half dragging him, because Cody seemed to be in a different world again. He numbly led Cody to their suite and opened the door. "Welcome home, Cody."

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More problems up next...


	4. Chapter 3

Chapter 3:

Zack led Cody over to his room—well, their room, he tried to remind himself. Cody was back.

The same signs that had layered the door when they were twelve were still there. Zack had never had the heart to take them down. They connected him to Cody.

He took a deep breath and opened the door, realizing that his hand was trembling as he placed it on the doorknob. Cody looked around the room, not seeming to know that Zack was there anymore.

Cody's bed was in the same place as it had always been. Carey and Zack had never touched it, only to clean it. There it was, with its innocent dark blue sheets, with the same saggy springs—everything was still there. When Zack had had friends over, they hadn't been allowed to sleep there. They'd accepted it too. It was _Cody's _bed, something untouchable—just like Cody had been for the last three years.

Zack felt something in his throat, like he was going to cry. But he couldn't cry. He needed to be strong. Stronger than he had ever been before.

Cody was shaking now, involuntarily shaking. He trembled, and ran a hand over his bed, clutching Blankie hard in his hands—so hard that his knuckles were white. Zack felt one tear slide down his cheek, but hurriedly brushed it away.

Cody turned to look at his twin, and then almost instinctively, his eyes snapped down to the ground again. "I'm sorry," he whispered, shaking almost convulsively.

"Cody, you don't understand," Zack pleaded. "You have nothing to be sorry about. It wasn't your fault."

"I made you hurt," Cody whimpered, his eyes still on the ground. "I deserved it. I deserved all that I got."

"You deserved nothing!" howled Zack. "You didn't deserve it. My God, Cody what did they do to you? I swear I'm going to kill them for hurting you!"

Cody kept his eyes on the ground. He didn't say any more.

xxx

Carey was flitting around anxiously, her hands in the air. She had ordered pizza—it was Cody's favorite food, well _had_ been Cody's favorite food, when he was twelve.

Zack was sitting at the table, looking numbly at his plate. The greasy, fatty, orange liquid gushing off one side of the pizza, filling in spaces of the oozy cheese. This was the thick, doughy type of pizza—the type layered with pepperonis. He gulped. He wasn't in the mood for pizza. He doubted that he'd be in the mood for anything.

Cody on the other hand, wolfed down the piece of pizza like he was never going to eat again, and then sat staring at his empty plate until Carey asked him if he wanted more.

"Yes," he stammered. "Yes, please." Then he flinched, as if he had said something wrong.

Carey tried to ignore it, as if afraid to embarrass him. She pulled off another piece of pizza, and put it on his plate. She kissed the top of his head. Cody ate this one more slowly, as if afraid that it wouldn't last.

Pretty soon, Cody had eaten five pieces of pizza, and Zack had taken one bite of his.

"Mom," Zack said, looking for understanding in his mother's eyes. "I'm really, really not hungry tonight."

Carey nodded. She understood.

Zack pushed his plate away, and watched his brother eat. He was obviously starved, the way his shirt—actually Zack's shirt—bagged around his chest. When he had taken off his shirt to change, Zack had seen every single rib prominent in his skin. He couldn't help the tears when he saw the bruises that covered Cody's thin frame—the blue and purple recent ones. He saw the welts that covered Cody's back, the blood crusted scars. He'd broken down and cried, feeling guilty of his success, while Cody had been suffering. He almost expected for Cody to be jealous and resentful towards him and his perfect life, but Cody wasn't.

Cody wasn't someone capable of doing that. He wasn't capable of hating, he wasn't capable of hurting anybody. He wasn't even capable of being jealous of his brother. That's why Zack was hurting so hard inside.

Tapeworm had once described Zack as the "bad twin" and Cody as the "good twin." But Zack realized that Cody wasn't only the "good twin": he was pure and unblemished and innocent.

Cody, the one person who didn't deserve it… why was Cody the one that had to be hurt? Zack had always been the angry twin, Zack had always been the revengeful one. Cody just sat on the sidelines and looked on, not disapproving of his behavior, but not contributing to it either. He just watched, and sat there to pick up the pieces, jumping in every once in awhile to help, but never to hurt.

Cody was the one who constantly wanted to please. Cody always wanted to help. _He didn't deserve one thing that they had done to him._

Zack felt himself clench his hands into fists, so hard that he left nail marks in his skin. Cody never deserved anything that happened to him, yet he got hurt. _Cody was the one that had gotten hurt._

If something like that had happened to Zack, he would have gone on, hating, hating forever. Yet Cody didn't. Cody didn't have the ability to hate anybody, and that's why Zack felt so bad inside. Cody just accepted it, like he deserved everything slap he got—Cody assumed it was his fault. Cody just thought it was his fault. And it wasn't.

And as Zack had sat there, the angrier and the sadder he felt inside. He'd cried, and Cody had tried to help. Cody, who was so scared of anybody now, he couldn't look in their eyes. Cody, whose once bright and lively eyes now had a dull and defeated look. Cody, who had always been the strong twin, the one to lean on, the one to help. And the one thing he kept on saying—the one thing that drove Zack madder than anything: "I'm sorry."

So as Zack sat there, staring blankly at his grease-stained paper plate, he decided one thing. _It would never happen again. It would never happen to Cody again._

He'd have to be the strong twin. He'd have to be the one that helped. He'd be the one that Cody would lean on.

And then the people that had hurt Cody would learn. They would learn what happened when they messed with his twin. They wouldn't break him, because Zack would be there to help him. Zack would be there to help Cody pick up the pieces.

xxx

Zack and Cody had finished brushing their teeth—Cody had gone for a dental check-up already—and Carey went down to take care of some things, leaving Zack to take care of his brother.

"Cody," Zack said, "come on brother. It's time to go to sleep."

Cody followed Zack into the room, his eyes still on the ground. Zack climbed into his bed, and waited for Cody to do the same thing.

Cody looked unsure as he glanced around the room, as if trying to figure something out. Finally, he reached up, took Blankie from the bed, and pulled it to the ground. He laid there on the ground, using Blankie as a pillow.

Zack was appalled. "Cody, get on your bed!"

Cody looked up at him, almost meeting his eyes, and then pulling his away. He brought his legs up in the fetal position, and sat there, with his scared puppy-like eyes. He clenched Blankie harder and harder in his hands.

Zack clambered out of his bed, ignoring the fact that his comforter fell to the ground. "Cody, what's wrong? Cody?"

Cody was shaking back and forth now, as if he didn't hear Zack anymore. "I'm sorry."

Zack clenched his teeth, trying not to scream out in frustration. "Cody, why… why aren't you sleeping on your bed?"

Cody looked up and then flinched again.

"I-I'm not supposed to," he managed to whimper.

Zack pulled his brother into his arms, realizing how truly small and alone Cody was. He hugged his brother hard, rocking him back and forth, the way Carey used to do when Cody was little and had a bad dream.

"Oh God," he moaned, sobbing hard into Cody's shirt. "Is that really what they told you? What did they tell you Cody? What did they tell you? Did they make you sleep on the ground, like you were some sort of _dog?_ Cody, what did they do to you—I swear I'm going to kill them, Cody—Cody what did they do?"

Cody just sat there, with his sad looking puppy eyes. The helpless look in them made Zack cry even harder. His poor brother.

"I… I love you Cody, you know that right? I love you so much, and I would never make you do that? I love you and Mom loves you. I love you so much Cody, and I missed you every single day you were gone. I tried not to, but it kept on hurting and hurting. _I missed you so much_."

Cody whined softly, like a puppy that had been kicked to many times. "I'm sorry I made you hurt," he whispered softly. "I'm sorry." A tear ran down his cheek, and Zack hugged him even harder. Cody didn't hug back. It was all so unreal to him. It was all too new still.

"You know what, Cody?" Zack said, trying to forget what had just happened. "You can sleep in my bed tonight," he said, pulling Cody up. He jumped in his bed, and pulled Cody in. "I'll protect you. Always," he promised. "Nobody's going to hurt you like that again, I promise you Cody."

Cody pulled himself under Zack's covers, and Zack hugged him hard. Cody listened as Zack's breathing became rough and haggard, and then finally he began to breathe normally. Cody was comforted by the sound of his brother's heart, beating softly.

It was almost strange, he thought. The other day, he'd been hurting everywhere, and now it felt like he'd been reborn. He was back with the person he loved more than anything in the world. He was back with his mother. He got to sleep in a bed.

Cody wasn't ready to tell Zack yet. He wasn't ready to tell him everything that had happened, and sort of felt ashamed. Zack wouldn't hurt him. But Cody couldn't let those memories come back and hurt him again.

He didn't want to think about those sleepless nights on the hard, cold ground while the two men snored like hogs. He didn't want to think about the times when he'd woken up screaming, and the men would whip him. He didn't want to think about the times he'd wet himself during the night and the times he'd wet himself when they were hurting him so bad—he was so scared they were going to kill him. Then those times when he'd wished that he was dead. Those times when he'd screamed for everybody—Zack, Mom, Dad, Mr. Mosebey—everybody.

He didn't want to remember when they slapped him because he looked at them in the eyes. He didn't want to think about the pathetic and worthless person he had now become. He didn't want to think about how he couldn't reach Zack's eyes—because he knew that he didn't deserve him.

He didn't deserve Zack. He didn't deserve his mom. He didn't deserve their love.

He was worthless. He was nothing. He was pathetic. He was a wasted piece of life. He'd never thought that they were right. But when you'd heard it enough—you could believe almost anything. And now, Cody thought they were right. At least here, with his brother and his mother in his perfect life.

They had been perfect. They didn't need him back. He only made them hurt more than before. He was a burden to them all.

Cody wanted to vanish. He wanted to disappear forever. Because they didn't need him. They were happier without him. And he wanted them to be happy more than anything in the world.

He knew it wasn't true though. Zack loved him. _You brother hates you. _Cody shivered as he remembered the guy's voice. His name had been Tony. The other one had been Rob. _Nobody loves you. _Cody tried to slap the memory away.

He felt a tear slide down his cheek, and he didn't brush it away, letting it collapse in a salty mess on the mattress. He finally closed his eyes and went to sleep, comforted by his brother's steady breathing—silencing the screams of the past. _For now. _He knew that they would arise though. They'd arise the next day or the next.

Because memories never stayed dead forever.

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	5. Chapter 4

Chapter 4:

Zack led Cody down the lobby. Cody seemed lifeless again, walking numbly behind him. Cody had stayed in their suite for about one day, and Zack thought he needed to get out and see more people. It _was_ a school day for Zack, but Carey had let him stay home. She understood how important it was to Zack that he protected his younger twin.

Carey was highly aware of how truly vulnerable and frightened Cody had become. It broke her heart to see that her son, a once beautiful and strong individual, had been reduced to almost nothing.

The elevator _dinged_, and Zack and Cody headed out from it into the lobby. Cody shuddered, and Zack looked back at him in concern.

"It's ok, Cody," he promised him. "It's ok."

Cody looked up at him with those empty, hopeless eyes, and then, as if remembering, they snapped back down.

_They took his SOUL. They took Cody's soul away from him,_ Zack thought numbly. He trembled on the inside.

On the outside though, he pretended everything was alright. "Come on, Cody. Let's go visit Maddie."

Cody didn't seem to hear him. Zack had noticed that every once in awhile he just blanked out and didn't seem to see or hear anybody. Zack hoped it would change. He hoped things would change over time.

He wanted to be the one that helped Cody.

He took his brother's hand carefully and led him over to the candy counter, where Maddie and London were standing. (Maddie still worked there, and also had another job as a baby-sitter for a rich couple. She needed the money for college, even though London volunteered to pay part of the school's tuition. London, on the other hand, didn't need the money for college. She was going to Harvard. Her dad had _persuaded_ them to take her in. Surprisingly, London wasn't as shallow and artificial as she had been. Maddie seemed to have grown on her. She now was a mature adult, with more intelligence than she had three years before. Her dad was teaching her about the business; she was going to inherit the Tipton hotel in Boston. Her dad wished to set up another Tipton in Paris).

Zack watched as Cody did a quick double take. Well, he glanced at the girls and then drew his eyes to the ground. Zack knew what he was thinking.

Maddie was now tall and beautiful—well, _more_ beautiful, Zack liked to say, than she had been three years before. Her golden hair was now curlier, instead of the straightened way she had kept it before. She was still skinny, but one could see she had matured. A lot.

London was taller now too. Her dark hair was long and glossy—still naturally straight, the way she liked it. Her eyes looked more intelligent and caring now, and she looked sadly at Zack, showing her pity for Cody.

"Hi Cody," London tried, glancing at Zack.

Cody didn't look up. Maddie tried to keep the atmosphere light, and ruffled his hair with her hand, the way she used to do when he was little.

The reaction was amazing.

The three of them watched in horrified fascination as Cody put up his arms in front of his face, as if to protect himself from a blow.

"Please don't hurt me," he cried, crumpling into a pile on the floor. "I'm sorry, I'm sorry."

"Oh my God," gasped Maddie, running out from behind the counter, and trying to help Cody.

Zack got there first though. He ran his hands over his brother's back, whispering into his ear. "It's ok, Cody. It's ok. Remember, I told you no one's going to hurt you. No one's going to hurt you. I'm going to protect you."

Cody was shaking, and Maddie bent down next to him. "I'm sorry, I'm sorry Cody. I'm sorry Zack." London's eyes were filling with tears.

"Did they hurt you bad Cody?" Zack was begging to know. He had to know.

Cody's eyes shifted away from his brother's pleading ones. He looked at the ground and didn't say anymore.

It was obvious they had.

xxx

After the disaster from that morning, Zack had brought Cody back up to their suite. He decided to try another attempt.

He called a couple of friends over. He warned them before they came in not to touch Cody physically in any way.

Tapeworm had been at the party, so he already knew what to expect. He glanced at Cody, and then looked sadly at Zack.

However, Bob and Jeremy hadn't seen Cody in three years, and they eagerly bounded up to him against Zack's warnings, and started questioning him.

Cody looked nervous and scared, and Zack pushed the two teens away.

Jeremy, who had once been one of Cody's closest friends, felt subdued as he ran a hand through his dark brown hair and adjusted his glasses. Bob, on the other hand, just looked a bit put off and angry, his red hair frizzing, looking sharp against his freckles. He had always been more of Zack's friend.

Tapeworm, who had been Cody's best friend besides Zack three years ago, crept up besides him and comfortingly stroked his back. "It's ok. If Zack isn't there to help you, I can, ok?"

Cody let out a small sad sigh, and Tapeworm felt like crying. He ran a sleeve over his eyes and sniffed, pretending to cough.

Cody looked up at his friend, Tapeworm—the one with the tousled, brown hair—the one who had always been there for him, and paled. "I'm sorry."

"You have nothing to be sorry for," Tapeworm tried to convince him.

Cody felt like screaming. He did! He did! It was his fault for hurting others, it was his fault for hurting the people he loved. He didn't want to hurt his mother. He didn't want to hurt Zack or Tapeworm or Maddie or any of his other friends.

It was his fault. That was the one thing he _was _sureof.

xxx

The guys settled around the TV, and Zack turned on his PS2. He put in a game called _City of Blood_, not realizing how this would affect his brother.

The game's goal was to kill as many people as possible—in any way possible. Bob got to work, punching and shooting people. There was screaming, but for about a minute, they all thought it was from the game. And then they realized the volume was on mute.

Zack turned around and saw Cody huddling behind Blankie, screaming his head off.

"Oh my God," he gasped, realizing his mistake. He hurriedly switched off the game, and rushed over to his brother, who was being comforted by Tapeworm.

"Cody, Cody," Tapeworm was attempting to get Cody to listen to him. "Cody," he tried, putting one of his hands on Cody's shoulder.

Cody was scratching wildly, and Tapeworm let out a small yelp of pain. He brought a hand to his cheek, where a bleeding scratch was visible.

"Don't hurt me!" Cody was bawling. "I'm sorry! I'm sorry!"

"It's ok, Cody," Tapeworm ignored the blood on his cheek and turned his attention to his friend. "It's ok. I would never hurt you, buddy."

Tears were forming in Tapeworm's eyes and running in silvery streams down his cheeks, blending in with the blood.

"Oh my God, Cody. What did they do to you?" he moaned weakly.

Zack was huddling in a chair, rocking himself back and forth. This was so hard. This was too hard. He wasn't strong enough for this stuff.

"How could I be so stupid?" he asked, seemingly to himself. "Oh my God, how could I be so stupid?"

Cody was still shuddering, his face a mask of pain, and Tapeworm was hugging him close. "Oh God, Cody. Come back to me, Cody. You're still there. Don't lie to me," he said, his voice breaking in pain.

Bob and Jeremy looked uncomfortable. This was getting _way_ too personal for them.

Cody's face was pale, his eyes still sunken and lifeless. He turned to Tapeworm.

"That's what they did to me," he said, his eyes down on his Blankie, a tear soaking into the soft fabric. "That's what they did to me."

Review? Sort of lame, I know. Tapeworm's my favorite though.


	6. Chapter 5

Chapter 5:

"They… they made me sleep on the floor," Cody told him, blankly, as if he was repeating something from a textbook. "Only, it was really cold, Tapeworm. It was really cold." He paused, as if remembering. He looked up at Zack, who had joined them. "It was hard, Zack. It was hard. Hard and cold. And… and they hit me. They hit me all the time, sometimes so hard that I couldn't remember anymore. I couldn't… I couldn't remember what hurt and what didn't. I couldn't remember when they last hit me. All the days… they mixed together. They… they hit me when I looked into their eyes," he said, trying to bring up his eyes to Zack's level. They immediately flashed down again. "They hit me hard all the time. They told me I was worthless. They told me I was nothing."

"They," he continued, "they told me that nobody would ever love me. They told me that you didn't love me—that Mom didn't love me. I hurt inside, Zack—I hurt inside all the time. I hurt on the outside too, but more on the inside. Because you hurt. I could feel it all the time… and I hated myself for making you hurt. I _hated_ myself."

Zack felt a sob catch in his throat. Cody didn't deserve this. He hadn't deserved any of it. Zack glanced over at Tapeworm who had tears spilling from his eyes.

"I hurt you Tapeworm," Cody whispered. "I hurt you. I'm sorry."

Tapeworm rubbed at the scratch on his cheek. "It's nothing, Cody. Don't worry about it."

"I don't deserve you," Cody whimpered softly. "I don't deserve any of you. I'm nothing."

"No Cody," Zack managed to whisper. "We don't deserve you."

xxx

About a week passed, and Carey decided that Cody was now stable enough to go to school. Cody had revealed everything to her, taking his own time. Carey was aware that Cody was extremely behind. In math, he was at an ok range, because he had almost finished Geometry in Seventh Grade before his disappearance. It was only the matter of how much he actually remembered.

Cody took a couple of tests, and it seemed that he was pretty much ok, since when he'd disappeared, he'd been taking freshman level material.

How had he remembered all of it? Only Cody knew. He had had nothing else to hang onto, so he hung onto all his memories: his family, his friends, school even. He hung onto everything so he wouldn't lose himself. He wouldn't become nothing.

Zack promised Carey he'd help Cody catch up. Cody had to smile faintly at that. Three years before _he_ had been the ideal student, _he_ had been the caring and kind one. Strangely, Cody didn't feel jealous at all. He loved his brother for who he was, whoever he would ever become.

And so it was with this trust that he started high school. For the first time.

xxx

Zack walked in front of Cody, leading him down the halls. They'd always seemed open and welcoming to Zack, but now they felt intimidating and dangerous. Zack glanced back at his brother every once in awhile. Cody looked pale and white—the way he'd looked for days.

"Come on Cody," he said, pulling his brother up next to him. He felt better when he could see his brother all the time.

"Here's your locker," he said, reaching a locker next to his. It had been empty ever since Maura Markren moved to Utah. "Umm… we have math first."

He led his brother down the hallway to the math classroom, disregarding the gasps and stares of disbelief.

"Is _that_ Cody Martin?"

"My God, it is."

"I thought he was dead."

"Well, he sure looks alive to me."

"He's still skinnier than his twin, you know."

"Well Zack's not as fat as he used to be. He is the captain of the basketball team."

"Yeah, that's true. But my God, I thought that kid was a goner."

"Looks like they found him."

"I never knew that there were _two_ of them."

"They don't really look alike."

"Oh, trust me, when they were smaller, they were almost _identical_."

"Yeah, he was kidnapped at a Red Sox game. Zack never went to one again."

The whispers bubbled around them, and Zack flinched, but Cody seemed not to notice. He seemed to turn stone deaf at some times. Cody had told Zack that sometimes he had hurt so much, he just didn't want to hear anything anymore.

So he didn't listen.

"We're here," Zack stepped into the math room, followed by his twin.

The math teacher, Miss Evans, a young blonde lady, smiled. "Oh, you must be Cody," she said, standing up to shake his hand.

Cody brought his eyes away from her and looked at the ground. He didn't take her hand.

Miss Evans shot a look of pity at Zack and told him to sit down. Zack pulled out another desk for Cody.

Miss Evans started talking about linear functions, but Zack wasn't listening. Which was odd.

He was too busy glancing over at Cody, making sure he was ok. Cody was staring intently at the board, as if trying to make sense of it all.

When Miss Evans asked a question, Zack was surprised to see Cody raise his hand. But he got the question right.

Maybe the old Cody wasn't so lost after all.

xxx

It was P.E., and Zack watched as Cody flinched every single time a ball came at him—afraid to be hurt. Coach Petersen took Cody out after watching Zack go through obvious pain.

Zack had to watch his brother sit on the sidelines. The period was almost over but he realized he had to use the bathroom.

Really bad.

"Tapeworm?" he asked, watching as his friend's curly brown head turned to face him.

"Yeah Zack?"

"Watch Cody for me, ok? I have to go use the bathroom."

"Sure Zack."

Zack ran off for the bathroom, used it as fast as he could, and ran back, just a few minutes after the period ended, trying to keep the pounding of his heart to stop. _He'll be alright. It's ok. _

He clambered to the door of empty gym—Coach had left, and saw a limp figure on the floor, lying next to the door. A figure with long, tousled brown hair.

"Oh God," he whispered, bending down to where Tapeworm was lying motionless on the ground. "Tape," he gasped, shaking his friend and flipping him over.

Tapeworm let out a small groan, and looked up at him with glassy eyes. "It hurts," he whispered, a trickle of blood coming from his mouth. He grabbed his stomach and let out a strangled moan of agony.

"Where's Cody?"

"They took him," Tapeworm whimpered in audible pain. "They took him."

Review?


	7. Chapter 6

Chapter 6:

Zack froze. They took him? Who did? Where was Cody?

"Drew and the rest of them. I don't know. I'm s…so…" Tapeworm coughed hoarsely, more blood coming from out of his mouth. "I'm sorr…sorry," he managed to gasp. "I… I couldn't… stop…th-them…" He coughed weakly, his coughs turning to soft whimpers.

Zack felt his body come alive again. He had thought there was so much worse. But _how could they come?_ he tried reminding himself. _They're in jail. The both of them. They're not going to hurt Cody again_.

But someone else already had.

Zack thought back about how much he had hated Drew—ever since he was twelve. Three years of hate.

After Cody had disappeared, Zack realized how mean Drew had always been to his brother. So he hated him—mainly to take his mind off the fact that Cody was gone.

It seemed just like Drew to do something like this.

Attack Tapeworm—who everybody knew would not hurt anybody or anything, including mosquitoes and ants—and take Cody—someone completely vulnerable. Zack was going to kill him.

But first he had to take care of Tapeworm.

Draping one of Tapeworm's arms over his shoulder, Zack pulled him up to his feet, trying not to hurt him. He wasn't successful, seeing that Tapeworm let out a small yelp of pain.

"Come on, buddy," Zack said, pulling Tapeworm upright, which was rather hard, seeing that Tapeworm was quite a bit taller than him.

Together, they managed to limp to the office, where a nurse bustled out and immediately started seeing to Tapeworm. Zack left as they called an ambulance.

Tapeworm would be alright. But what about Cody?

xxx

Zack ran as fast as he could. Out near the football field—that's where Drew always was.

He reached an empty field—the only thing new was the grass stains on his sneakers. Oh God, where could they be? If they weren't here, he didn't know where they were.

"Darn it!" he yelled, kicking the football shed—a metal shack where all the supplies were kept. "Cody, where are you?"

He turned to leave, but heard a small whimper from inside the shed. Oh God, this could _not_ be good.

He ran around to the front of the shed, trying to pull the knob open. Shoot! What was this?

The handle, a cheap rusty metal wire, was tied around it. Zack tried to pull it apart, but Drew and his friends had managed to smash it together so that it was almost impossible to open.

"Cody?" Zack asked. He heard a small groan. "Cody, I'm going to knock this door down, ok? I want you to move over where it won't hit you, ok Cody?"

If Cody had heard, there was no answer.

"Ok, Cody. I'm going to hit it now," Zack backed up and ran as fast as he could. Gathering speed, he managed to collide with the rusty metal door, managing to open it a pretty significant distance. As the coach would say, "Zack you should have tried out for football."

He kicked the door hard—the wire handle breaking. He ran in to find his twin, bound and gagged, trembling, with a trickle of blood coming from his forehead.

"Oh God, Cody."

It wasn't the pain that bugged Zack. It wasn't the blood. It wasn't even the crude gag made out of duct tape and the dirty rope that bound Cody's hands and feet. It wasn't the dirty dog chain that was tied to his neck that made him gasp for breath. It was the defeated look in Cody's eyes—the look that Zack had been trying to erase for the last couple of days.

And it was back.

Before Zack knew what he was doing, he was running over to his brother, sobbing and choking through his tears, "I'm sorry, I'm sorry, I'm sorry."

He managed to pull off the dog chain which had formed bloody bruises around Cody's neck, watching Cody's eyes arise in panic.

"It's ok," he whispered, and he managed to take it off as gently as he could.

He took off the piece of duct tape. He untied the ropes and then grasped Cody and brought him close to his chest. "I'm sorry Cody. I'm so sorry."

Cody was shaking uncontrollably, grabbing frantically onto Zack's shoulders as if he couldn't believe he was there. "You promised Zack, you promised."

Zack raised his brother's chin with one hand, trying to meet Cody's eyes. Cody glanced down. "I know Cody. I'm sorry."

xxx

"HOW COULD YOU LET THAT HAPPEN?" Carey was yelling at Zack, who was standing still in the middle of the room.

"I told you, Mom, I didn't mean for that to happen! I had to go to the bathroom so I had to ask Tapeworm--"

"Why did you ask Tapeworm? I told you NOT to let him out of your sight!"

"I _told_ you Mom, I'm sorry, ok? There's _nothing_ I can do about it!"

"You should have watched him!"

"How many times do I have to say sorry, Mom? You think I _wanted_ him to get hurt? I love him Mom, I love him! I didn't want that to happen!"

"Well, you sure let it happen," said Carey, wiping a tear from her eye. She turned around angrily, "You could have stopped it!"

"How was _I_ supposed to know Mom? You think I thought that if I went to the bathroom that _this_ would happen? If I had known, I'd never go to the bathroom again—my God, Mom, I would have peed in my pants if I'd known! I didn't want this!"

"Stop trying to defend yourself!" yelled Carey. "It's _your_ fault!"

"No it's not!" Zack was shouting back. "It's not! Life was so much easier before Cody came back! It was so much better!"

"Don't you DARE say that!"

"It's the truth Mom! It was! Life was so much easier and better! I wish he'd _never_ come back! He's only brought us pain and hardship!" Zack panted, breathing hard. Then he realized the extent of what he had said.

"Oh God, no."

He turned around to see a horrified looking Cody standing in the doorway of the twins' shared room, the bruises that decorated his face and the fragileness of his frame. His eyes were suddenly lifeless. Cody's lip trembled and he turned to run away, tears already coursing their way down his cheeks.

"Oh God. Oh no. Please don't think that Cody. I didn't mean it! I didn't mean it!"

It was too late. Cody was gone—hiding in that place where nobody could hurt him—inside himself. He had closed himself off to Zack, off to everyone… afraid to be hurt again.

Sort of lame. Sorry.

Review?


	8. Chapter 7

Chapter 7:

"How could you say that to him?" Carey's voice came out in a hiss of anger. "I can't believe you. You're not a brother, you're not a twin. What kind of monster are you?"

"I didn't mean it," Zack said, a tear running down his cheek. "He knows I didn't mean it."

"Cody doesn't understand anything right now, Zackary. You have to know that. You have to protect him."

"I will! I promise Mom," Zack's voice was raw with pain. "I'll do it, even if it costs everything. I'll do it."

xxx

"I _hate_ myself," moaned Cody quietly, sitting on his bed. He didn't deserve this bed, he realized. He crawled off and sat on the floor. He didn't deserve this either. He deserved to die—he should get rid of himself so then he wouldn't hurt the ones he loved anymore.

He couldn't do this.

Zack knocked on the door. Cody heard him, and trembled. Was he going to come in here and hurt him more?

_Stop being such a coward_, he told himself. _You deserve it. You make them hurt, you hurt them. You deserve to hurt too_.

"Cody? Can I come in?"

Cody didn't answer. Why _should_ he answer? His thoughts didn't mean anything, they didn't matter to anybody. His feelings didn't matter—that's what Rob and Tony had always said. Only Cody had never thought they were right, until now.

He heard the door open, and turned around instinctively. Was Zack going to hurt him?

Zack came up to him and put an arm around Cody's shoulders. Cody flinched, and he read the pain in Zack's eyes.

"I'm sorry."

"No, Cody!" Zack let out a strangled cry. "You _don't_ have to be sorry. You never did anything to them, you never did _anything_." His voice broke and his sobs came in raw gasps.

"I hurt you. I made life worse for you." Cody could feel the tears filling up in his eyes and spilling over the edges, matting his eyelashes together. "I should just go. Then you wouldn't hurt anymore."

"I would hurt even more," Zack breathed softly. "Because I had the chance to have the best person I ever could in my life and I blew it. I _need_ you Cody. I'm sorry. I didn't mean those things I said."

"You're right though," said Cody, drawing his eyes to the ground. "You're right. I did make life harder for you."

"It's pretty hard right now," Zack admitted, pulling Cody close. "It's pretty hard, but it will be worth it in the long end. Why? Because I know you're here and you're safe. It would be so much harder _not_ knowing where you were and not knowing if you were hurt or scared or broken. I have you here Cody, and I'm not going to let you go. I'm not going to."

There was silence. Zack promised. He could only hope that he'd be able to keep it.

xxx

It was school. The next day. Zack hadn't let Cody out of his site for the whole first three periods even though he had to pee more than anything right now.

Tapeworm was ok. He'd been banged up pretty badly, but he'd gone to the hospital for a checkup, and besides being severely bruised in some areas, he was ok. He looked apologetically at Zack, and Zack nodded in forgiveness.

The person Zack needed to talk to was Drew.

He cornered Drew outside the class after Chemistry, followed by a scared-looking Cody.

"Don't you _dare_ lay a hand on my brother again," hissed Zack angrily.

"What are you talking about?" Drew asked.

Zack punched him hard in the gut, smiling to himself as Drew doubled over. "Don't pretend you don't know what I'm talking about Drew. I'm not here to play games with you."

"I never said I was here to play games with you," smirked Drew sarcastically, after he recovered from the pain.

"Shut it," Zack growled.

"Zackary Martin!" came a snappish voice. Zack looked up to see the vice principal of the school—Mr. Kent. "Go my office right now! I'll have to have a discussion about your poor behavior." Mr. Kent walked off, expecting Zack to follow him.

Zack pulled Cody along with him. "Come on, it will only take awhile. I'm sorry, Cody."

Cody smiled weakly. "You were just trying to protect me," he said, his eyes glued to the floor.

"Yeah, I was, wasn't I?" Zack grinned.

They reached Mr. Kent's office and Zack walked in, Cody following him.

"Mr. Cody Martin, you may stay outside," Mr. Kent said.

"No!" Zack almost screamed. "No! He has to stay in my sight the _whole_ time! He got hurt yesterday!" He was almost hysterical.

Mr. Kent smiled grimly. "Cody, wait outside."

Zack almost punched the teacher in the face but decided that he was already in enough trouble as it was. He kept an eye on Cody's small figure sitting outside the glass panel the whole time, not really focusing on the lessons of not bullying dictated by Mr. Kent.

He got out, luckily Cody was still there, and the beating of Zack's heart slowed down considerably. They walked out for break, when Zack met up with Tapeworm outside near the gym, with Cody of course.

Unfortunately they crashed into Drew. There was only three of them: Zack, Cody, and Tapeworm. Against Drew and his seven friends. Who were also holding metal baseball bats.

"Come on, this isn't funny," said Zack, backing up against the gym wall. He knew nobody could see them from here.

"I never said anything was funny," snapped Drew, as he swung his baseball bat, nearly hitting Zack's head. "I never said anything was funny at all…"

Not the best writing I've done, but review... please? See, I wanted to end it in this chapter, but Mr. Sketchy Ghost protested and said it needed to be longer.


	9. Chapter 8

Chapter 8:

"Oh God," whispered Tapeworm, his face pale. He knew as well as Zack did that they couldn't beat them, three against eight.

Zack was pushed up against a wall, Drew and his gang surrounding them, their faces leering. Tapeworm protectively pushed a pale Cody behind him, recompensed with a grateful look from Zack.

"God, Drew, can't we work this out?" Zack asked, wincing as his voice arched onto a desperate note. He wouldn't mind settling the fight with Drew once and for all, but he didn't want it to involve Cody. "It's just between you and me—you don't have to get Tapeworm and Cody involved."

"Really?" Drew said sarcastically, kicking Zack hard in the leg. Zack almost crumpled, but he quickly recovered, not wanting to give Drew the satisfaction. "I don't know, Martin. I think it's a whole lot more _fun _to hurt you the right way."

"What's _that _supposed to mean?" Zack wanted to know.

"I think you know," Drew said, staring at him hard in the eyes. "I think you know as well as I do that you hurt more when the ones you love are hurt. I would _love _to beat you up, Zack, and settle this the easy way, trust me, I'd _love _to. But I've noticed that you don't learn any lessons with that, Zack. I noticed that you hurt more when it's _your _fault—your fault that you couldn't save the ones you care about."

He nodded at one of his cronies, who took the baseball bat and brought it hard against Tapeworm's ribcage. Tapeworm let out a groan of pain and almost fell, but remained standing, pushing Cody further behind him. Cody knew that Tapeworm would give himself up to protect him, but Cody didn't want that. He tried to step out so the crony would get him and leave his friend alone, but Tapeworm pushed him hard against the wall, and Cody knew that his friend meant it.

He decided to listen and stayed behind his friend. He glanced over at Zack who wasn't doing too well. Drew had smashed the bat into Zack's stomach as hard as he could, causing Zack to double over and vomit blood. As Zack lied on the ground, moaning, Drew kicked him hard in the stomach, and Zack groaned, a trickle of blood escaping from his mouth.

Cody screamed. "Zack!" Then he jerked his head away from his brother as he saw several guys grab Tapeworm. Tapeworm fought back wildly. He grabbed a guy and started punching him hard in the face after kicking him several times hard in the crotch. He hit the teen so hard that he was unconscious before he hit the ground. Tapeworm usually didn't hurt anybody, so he was left staring at what he had done. He'd never hurt anybody before, but he'd done it for Cody, which made it acceptable.

One guy slapped Tapeworm hard against the face, and another brought a baseball bat down hard on Tapeworm's back. Cody could only watch as Tapeworm silently screamed in pain, his mouth in a twisted shape of agony.

"Leave Cody alone," Zack managed to gasp from on the ground.

"Yeah right," snapped Drew, stepping hard on Zack's side. Zack let out a small yelp of pain and he apologized to Cody with his pained eyes.

Tapeworm was grabbed and dragged in a different direction, leaving Zack alone. Drew came up to Cody and grabbed him, dragging him away. Cody tried to scratch back at Drew, but one hard whack with the bat taught him a lesson.

"You couldn't save your brother, huh Martin?" Drew sneered at him.

Zack clenched his fists with hate, and then moaned in pain at the action. Zack could only lay there helplessly as Cody cried for help. He tried to call for help, but couldn't find the strength and just laid there… the life seeping out of him…

xxx

"Tapeworm, we're going to play a game, ok?" One of Drew's cronies grinned at Tapeworm, his smile sarcastic and cruel. Tapeworm wanted to punch him.

He couldn't though. His arms were tied together tight with duct tape.

"See, we're going to play a game. Whoever can make you scream the first wins, ok? I'll start." The guy pulled out a switchblade, and jerked Tapeworm's hair back with his hand, exposing Tapeworm's throat. He pressed it against Tapeworm's throat, hearing Tapeworm gulp, and then pulled the switchblade away to stab Tapeworm in the leg. Tapeworm let out a small yelp of pain.

He recovered quickly, spitting out in disgust. "I won't scream for you." Like Zack, he wouldn't give them the satisfaction.

"That was close. Not quite screaming though."

Another guy approached, grabbing Tapeworm's arm. He twisted it hard, and Tapeworm couldn't help a groan. As the teen pulled harder, shocks of pain ran through Tapeworm's body. He let out a scream of pain. "Stop!"

"Pretty good. Let's hear louder. I want to hear you _beg _us to stop. You'll wish you'd have done so earlier."

xxx

"Augh!" Cody spat out water as Drew forced his head into the toilet and flushed again. Cody had never felt so dirty in his life as Drew stood and smiled. "Enjoying your swirly, Martin?"

"Leave me… leave me alone," Cody said pathetically, his blonde hair dripping with water that ran into his eyes.

Drew pulled Cody up next to him, staring hard into his eyes. Cody's eyes flashed down immediately.

"Are you _complaining_ Martin? Is that it? Do you think that what you're going through is so much harder than what your friends are going through right now? Did you know that your brother is lying on the pavement outside _bleeding _to death and that your buddy Tapeworm is getting tortured right now? Do you think that you got the harder part?"

Cody shook his head, his eyes wide. What were they doing to Zack? What were they doing to Tapeworm?

"See, Martin, you're still that same selfish kid I knew years ago. You haven't changed at all! You're still pathetic and pitiful. You'll never amount to anything! Why don't you just get rid of yourself, Martin? It would help your dear twin so very much. He wouldn't have to watch out for you anymore, would he Cody? He'd just go back to his _own _life, his _preferred _life. His _perfect _life that he had and you didn't!"

Cody tried not to listen. All that he didn't want to be true was coming true.

"You know I'm saying the truth, Martin." Drew snapped, "Don't look away from me. You know it's true. You know that life was so much better before you came back, right? I don't know why you had to be found. It would have been so much better if you'd just stayed lost. That's what Zack wants, Cody. That's what Zack wants. Don't you want to make your brother happy?"

Cody nodded, feeling a lump in his throat, hot tears burning in his eyes.

"Oh, are you _crying _now, Cody? Is _that _it? You're _crying _now? You're just the same pathetic loser, I always knew it."

Drew grabbed Cody's hair and pushed his face back in the toilet, flushing it. Cody couldn't breathe, he felt as if he was drowning. He needed to breathe, but all he sucked in was more water. A cloud of redness covered his vision. _Oh my God, this is what it's like to die. I'm dying, I'm dying. I'm sorry, Zack. I'm sorry._

Drew pulled Cody's head out by his hair, and slammed it against the toilet lid, laughing as blood spilled from Cody's hairline. He left Cody there, as his consciousness slipped and everything turned black…

Sort of lame and melodramatic. Oh well. Review please.


End file.
